tirer le diable par la queue

The French expression “tirer le diable par la queue” translates literally to “to pull the devil by the tail”.

English meaning:

  • to live hand to mouth

French meaning:

  • vivre sans peu de ressourcesto live with few resources

Example sentence:

  • La réalité c’est que la plupart des américains tirent le diable par la queue : le rêve américain deveint impossible à atteindre. The reality is that the majority of Americans live hand to mouth and that the American dream is becoming impossible to reach.

Related:

  • un/une précaire (noun) – person who’s job is unstable
  • précaire (adjective) – unstable, insecure (with regards to jobs and income).

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